Jazzland Recordings

The first album by the Mexican-Swiss singer Carolina Katún "Al Silencio" is an ode to silence. The minimalist, crossover music is unified and highlighted by a great variety of vocal sounds, techniques and styles that revisit key songs from the Latino American songbook. 

Carolina talks about "TEOL" and the album "AL SILENCIO" 

TEOL is a creative band made up of some of Paris' top jazz musicians. They share a similar musical vision and appreciation for traditional forms of music, a deep friendship, and sensitivity for perfectly accompanying the voice that binds the group together. 

"There are meeting places in the music world that have nothing to do with chance. I happened to meet the double bass player Nicolas Moreaux at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Then, in Paris, I met the guitarist Pierre Perchaud and the drummer Arthur Alard. This is how TEOL was created two years ago. TEOL means 'The spirit of the tree' in Maya. This tree whose pollination depends on the winds, speaks several languages, sings different kinds of music. " 

This band started playing together in 2016, mainly in Paris Jazz clubs. While interpreting and arranging, with input from each musician, a collection of songs gradually emerged, mainly consisting of Latino American songs. 

"In Al Silencio", I was willing to pay tribute to some of the keys songs and singers that have impacted my life so far. This repertoire is composed of some Latino American standards such as la ranchera mexicana "La llorona", and others which are less well-known, such as "Le tengo al silencio", from Athahalpa Yupanqui, the song that gave the Album its title..." Through pieces by Robert Wyatt or Purcell, the band opens up to other horizons such as pop and baroque music. The specific quality of the band is to make each piece their own in a common spirit, conjuring new arrangements that possess a beautiful simplicity. The group's open-mindedness was the perfect fit for Carolina Katún. 

"It's an eclectic repertoire that enables me to explore countless vocal possibilities, to give tribute to all those who have influenced me: Mercedes Sosa, Chavela Vargas, Lila Downs, Bjork... The band's attitude, which is to find an original interpretation stamped with their own signature, gave me the creativity I was looking for and enabled me to be myself. " 
Through his fine approach and understanding of the band's expectations, Tony Paeleman, an exceptional soundman, helped TEOL with further explorations in the studio des Bruères in Poitiers. 

Another great encounter with a world-renowned Jazz musician led to his playing on the record – and a little bit more besides, as Caroline explains. "I happened to meet an incredible artist and such a beautiful person: The Norwegian pianist Bugge Wesseltoft, who accompanies us on a few pieces on this album. Hhe loved our music so much that he suggested we release the album on his label, Jazzland Recordings." 

"I'm deeply grateful to the musicians, Bugge and Jazzland for believing so much in this project. They have given me the energy I needed to discover the best possible ways to bring this music to life."